


Unforeseen Circumstances

by Fairheads



Category: Casualty (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:36:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29879178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fairheads/pseuds/Fairheads
Summary: Charlie is stabbed at work, will it bring Duffy and him back together?
Relationships: Lisa "Duffy" Duffin/Charlie Fairhead
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

“I can assure you that we will treat your wife as soon as we can,” Charlie explained to the clearly agitated husband, of a patient with a knife wound.

“You need to help her. You’re all just standing around, no one is doing anything to help her. She’s hurt. This is a hospital. Help her.” The patient’s husband shouted aggressively. The man motioned to his wife, who was now bleeding profusely from her left arm. She had placed a tea towel on the wound and was applying pressure as advised. Although a serious injury, the main artery had not been severed, so triage had decided to prioritise a more serious RTC ahead of her, in resus. Charlie had been explaining to the woman what was happening and how she would be called through next, when her husband had become angry.

“Dave, it’s fine. They’re busy. Please sit down.” His wife was embarrassed at his behaviour and tried to persuade him to sit back down. His anger was not helping the situation and it was the reason why she was in here in the first place.

“It is not fine! You’re hurt and no one is doing anything. But that’s going to change. They are going to help you right now, aren’t you nursey.” The man removed a knife from his coat and pointed it at Charlie, who put his hands up in defence.

“Getting angry, won’t help your wife, Sir. Please calm down or I will have to call security.” Charlie replied.

“Calm down? Calm down? Who do you think you are?” The man shouted, waving the knife around.

“Sir, we will be able to help your wife, when you put the knife down.” Charlie was calm, despite feeling like the situation was escalating fast. David had been watching the whole thing unfold and had motioned for Noel to call security.

Moments later, security arrived but their attendance further annoyed the man. Before he had time to react, he had plunged the knife into Charlie’s stomach. Charlie fell to the floor, his eyes wide with shock and fear. Security wrestled the knife from the attacker and quickly detained him. David rushed to Charlie’s side.

“Can I get some help please?” David shouted and all free staff came running with a stretcher and packing equipment. They were shocked to see it was one of their own.

“Duffy,” Charlie whispered, she was the only person he needed right now.

“I’ll get her,” David confirmed, as Connie began rushing Charlie into resus, the blood pouring from his wound. David ran to find Duffy in cubicles.

“Duffy, you had better come quickly, it’s Charlie.”

“What’s happened? Is he okay?” Duffy questioned, noticing David’s concern, her heart suddenly beating faster. Despite being estranged, she cared deeply for Charlie and the thought of anything happening to him, made her feel sick.

“He’s been attacked... he’s in resus. He’s not in a good way...” David began to explain. Duffy didn’t need to hear any more, she ran straight there. Entering the room, swamped with frenetic activity, she could see a lot of blood. Connie, Robyn, Elle and the team were busy trying to stem the bleeding from Charlie’s stab wound.

“Charlie?” Duffy asked, her voice trembling. He was deathly pale and struggling to remain conscious but upon hearing her voice, his eyes searched desperately for hers in the mass of people. Duffy moved forward.

“I’m right here,” she whispered as she stepped in to stand next to him, in between all of the wires and medical equipment. Despite the agony of seeing him in this state, she tried to remain calm.

“Oh, you silly old fool, there must have been easier ways to get me to come and hold your hand,” she teased, kissing his forehead and holding his hand. He smiled weakly at her, feeling worse by the second but so grateful that she had come.

“I...love... you,” he tried to say, every word punctuated by a raspy gasp.

“I know. I love you too,” she reassured him, tears springing to her eyes.

“I... I’m s...” Charlie was really struggling to get his words out. Connie was trying to cross match some more blood and the machines were beeping incessantly. It wasn’t looking good.

“Try not to speak, we can talk later,” Duffy instructed, fixing his oxygen mask and caressing his face gently. His eyes were searching, he looked terrified. She was terrified too that she would lose him. The machines alarmed as Charlie suddenly lost consciousness.

“Noo, please... Charlie,” tears fell from her eyes. She loved him, but she wasn’t sure he knew that after the last few weeks. If only she had been able to let him in. David had to pull her aside, while Connie and the team attempted to resuscitate him. Burying her face in David’s shoulder, unable to watch, she could barely stand.

What if? What if? It had taken a completely unforeseen circumstance for her to see everything more clearly. As much as she had tried to focus on herself recently and be strong about her diagnosis, she couldn’t deny her feelings for Charlie. She had wanted to let him in but she just didn’t know how; she would have to allow herself to be vulnerable to let him in and she felt that she needed to remain strong. However, now she couldn’t bear to think about what life might be like without him. It dawned on her that that must have been how he had been feeling these past few weeks- wondering what life would be like without her. Duffy broke down into sobs as David held her. It was all so cruel.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Charlie survive his stabbing with Duffy now by his side?

As the team battled around them, David held Duffy tight. After a few moments, he quietly encouraged her to come to the relatives room with him, explaining that it would let everyone focus on their job. Although, she was reluctant to leave Charlie, she couldn’t bear to watch them break his ribs during chest compressions or hear them shout the next, frantic treatment instruction. She knew too much and at the same time it was too much for her to bear. David wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her out of resus and along the corridor.

Upon walking into the relatives room, Duffy sat down, covering her face with her hands and inhaled deeply. David stood awkwardly in the corner of the room, looking out of the window. Breaking the silence, Duffy lifted her head and asked him,

“What happened?” She needed to understand how her best friend had ended up fighting for his life.

“Husband of a patient, tired of waiting,” David explained, sparing her excess detail and sticking to the point.

“So they stabbed him?” Duffy replied incredulously, her voice faltering, it was impossible for her to comprehend.

“Charlie was calm, tried to deescalate,” David wanted her to know, that it wasn’t anything Charlie had done.

Duffy nodded, she knew that more often than not, Charlie was the best on staff, at deescalation, he had had enough practise over the years! It was a well known fact that Charlie was empathetic and understanding even with the most difficult patients- he seemed to have this natural ability to calm those in emotional distress. Duffy herself, had experienced his magic on numerous occasions, when she had personally become overwhelmed or stressed.

“The guy panicked when he saw security, it happened in seconds,” David concluded.

Duffy couldn’t process what David was saying. It sounded like a freak accident, nothing Charlie could have done, but she couldn’t help but wish she had been there instead of him. Standing up, she started pacing the length of the room, back and forth. Whys and wherefores flooded her brain.

David could almost read her mind, interrupting her thoughts he tried to reassure her: “Duffy? Charlie loves you with all of his heart, surely you must know that?”

Duffy lifted her arms up and shrugged, letting them rest, “I’m not sure these days... I’ve made some mistakes.”

“He loves you,” David repeated categorically.

“You don’t see how he looks at you, or how he tries to find an excuse to speak to you constantly. He has made mistakes too but true love overcomes,” David elucidated.

“If I’m not too late...” Duffy whispered. David didn’t reply, instead he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, it was Elle. Duffy pulled away from David, eagerly looking at Elle for news. She motioned for Duffy to sit down, joining her on the sofa.

“Duffy. I’m not going to lie to you, Charlie is in a bad way,” Elle began, as Duffy tried to take in what she was saying.

“The stab wound severed a major artery but thankfully appears to have missed his major organs. We’ve managed to stabilise him but he’s lost a lot of blood, he’s had a number of blood transfusions,” she explained. Blood transfusions, stabilise him. Duffy’s heart was pounding, she covered her mouth with her hand and nodded to show Elle she understood.

“It was touch and go back there but he’s stable now,” Elle finished, taking Duffy’s hand.

“Thank you,” Duffy’s voice broke as she spoke.

“He’s got a long way to go yet, he’s been taken into surgery and he’ll be in hospital for some time.”

Duffy nodded, struggling to control her tears. She gave Elle the biggest hug. How do you thank someone for saving your husband’s life?

x X x

Even though she knew Charlie could be hours in surgery, Duffy decided that she would get her belongings from the staff room and head upstairs to wait. Grabbing her coat and bag, she shut her locker. Turning, her phone slipped out of her hand onto the floor, she sighed, bending down to pick it up- luckily her screen at survived the tumble! She was understandably anxious and all fingers and thumbs.

As she was leaving, she caught sight of Charlie’s locker. She was torn, they weren’t in the best place and perhaps it was not her right to go into his locker, but he was still her husband and she thought he may want his stuff. Deciding upon the second option, she reached for the lock and tried her date of birth, as the code, her heart beat as she door opened.

Inside the locker, she found his soft, sky- blue jumper, she had bought it for him, knowing how much he suited blue. Moving it towards her nose, she inhaled his scent deeply and closed her eyes. Oh Charlie, she thought, how did we get here? His phone was on the shelf above, when she held it, the screen flashed up with a photograph of them together. Duffy’s heart skipped. There were a few other items in there, a couple of photos of them together over the years, a pen and lanyard. She smiled and simultaneously rolled her eyes when she saw his jeans, a t shirt, some spare boxers and socks screwed up and shoved into the bottom of the locker. Reaching down, she picked them up and smoothed them out, folding them neatly. She locked his locker and put all of his things into her bag.

Taking the lift upstairs, she felt sick, she wasn’t sure how he would be or whether he’d even want to see her after surgery, but she loved him and she didn’t know what else to do.

x X x

After three hours, a theatre nurse came to where Duffy was sitting outside the surgical ward, to tell her that Charlie was out of theatre and in recovery. Duffy breathed a small sigh of relief. Gathering her things, she walked to the recovery room, it was now or never! As she pushed open the door, Duffy could hear a very weak Charlie repeating her name tearfully.

“Duffy? Duffy?” Duffy’s heart exploded.

“I’m here,” she whispered as she walked inside. His face lit up.

“You came,” he choked, smiling.

He tried to reach out for her with his hand, struggling to manoeuvre around the many wires and wincing as the pain of his wound seared through his body.

“Try not to move,” the theatre nurse instructed him, putting his oxygen mask back on as she finished her duties. Duffy rushed over to the bed, to ensure he wouldn’t move anymore. Cupping his face with her hands, around the mask.

“Of course I did! What am I going to do with you Charlie Boy? You gave us quite a scare,” she said tenderly.

“Home,” he mumbled, drifting in and out of consciousness.

“You’re going to be here for a few days yet love, but you’ll get there,” Duffy responded.

“Come... home,” he repeated, emphasising the come. His eyes pleading with her. She nodded, understanding what he meant, there is nowhere she would rather be. Today had really hit her hard. Tears filled her eyes. His too, he had been so scared and all he wanted was her. It didn’t matter about Bill or the dementia or anything else. He missed her, he loved her, he needed her.

They didn’t speak but their fingers interlocked and their eyes met. So much could be said without words.

Suddenly, he grimaced, squeezing his eyes shut. Pain coursed through his body.

“I’ll go speak to the nurses, get them to up your meds,” she motioned to go but he held her hand tight.

“Stay!” He urged, holding her hand tight. He’d lost her before, he couldn’t let her go now.

“Try to get some rest,” she encouraged, stroking his furrowed brow with her hand gently.

“I’ll be right here,” she reassured him, kissing his cheek.


End file.
